Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
In some optical scanning systems, such as a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system, a rotating, polygonal mirror is used to steer light that is transmitted by the system. The steered light may encompass a field of view, and may reflect off of objects that are within the field of view. The reflected light may return to the system and be received by a signal receiver, and in this way, provide the system with information, such as distance information, about objects within the field of view.
In some emerging applications, such as autonomous vehicle operation, an example LIDAR system may be exposed to external inertial forces and environmental changes, among other disruptive forces. For instance, the rotating mirror within the LIDAR system of an autonomous vehicle may be affected by inertial forces arising from the movement of the vehicle, which may affect the balance and rotation of the mirror. Further, the mirror may experience thermal expansion based on changes in the ambient temperature, which may crack or deform the mirror depending on the construction of the mirror assembly. Other examples may also exist.